Kubo and the Two Strings

A young boy named Kubo must locate a magical suit of armor worn by his late father in order to defeat a vengeful spirit from the past.

For Best Animated Film of 2016, there seems to be two schools of thought: either "Zootopia" or "Kubo". The former has so far been winning the most awards, and will probably win the Oscar. But "Kubo" has a strong following, with some saying it is not only the best animated film, but one of the best films of the year in any genre.

I love a good underdog, but in this case my sympathies lie with "Zootopia". The creators there have crafted an entire world, and it is not only very enjoyable, but lends itself to any number of sequels with other characters. It is a rich, dense landscape. "Kubo", on the other hand, is a very shallow, one-dimensional story. A boy goes looking for armor, and without even knowing what direction to go, he stumbles over it almost immediately. There is no deep conception of character or plot, everything just falls into place. For me, that really makes the film lacking and does not make me want to take repeat trips.

However, "Kubo" is also nominated for Best Visual Effects. And on that note, I would love to see it win. I don't personally know the challenges of traditional animation versus computer animation versus stop motion. But, I do see the finished product here and how flawless it looks. Unlike the "classic" stop motion (such as "King Kong"), the movements are seamless. I can't even fathom the amount of minuscule adjustments that have to be made.

Although "Zootopia" is a clear favorite for Best Animated Feature (in my opinion), by all means give "Kubo" the Best Visual Effects and honor these folks for the hard work and countless hours it must have taken.

"Kubo and the Two Strings" is a lovely film...and even more amazing because it was made mostly utilizing stop-motion. It's obvious that the folks from Laika Studio really cared and worked hard to make the film this artistic and pleasing to the eyes.

The story is about a magical boy who has been kept in hiding for many years. It turns out that the child's grandfather is a cruel supernatural being...and the boy's aunts are intent on capturing the boy. To protect him are a snow monkey, a strange samurai/beetle hybrid and an origami miniature soldier.

The story is very strange...with many unusual elements. Relax....and quickly your brain will stop questioning and you can enjoy the strange, otherworldly tale. Incredibly well animated, a delight to the eyes and a nice story all work together to make this a special film...one that adults can enjoy just as much as their kids.

Stop-Motion animation can be a thing of pure beauty. I've been a fan of Laika's previous films (particularly Coraline and ParaNorman to a great extent), and so I really was excited for this. Based on the trailers, it looked like a dazzling experience and I was sure that it would not fail to meet expectations. I was right. There's a real sense of artistry to the film that is missing in a lot of other kids' animated films. It's about family, the power of memory, and longing, and it manages to create some truly memorable, fantastic villains that happen to be both well-written and really terrifying. More than anything, the themes at its core really resonate. This may likely be the best animated film of the year.

Those talented folks at LAIKA have done it again. KUBO AND THE TWO STRINGS is not just one of the best animated films of the year, it's one of the best films of the year, period. Not since Pixar's "Up," have death and loss been handled do firmly and delicately. "Kubo" is fun, moving, hopeful, and profound. A terrific story of bravery and acceptance.

Written by Marc Haimes and Chris Butler and directed by LAIKA's own president, Travis Knight, KUBO AND THE TWO STRINGS is set in a fantastical Japan where a one-eyed kid who masters the art of origami and storytelling, Kubo, (voiced by Art Parkinson of "Game Of Thrones") would go out to work to earn money during the day by entertaining audiences in the middle of a market but he comes home right before sundown to tend to his sick mother, it has to be before sundown because at night, his mother's sisters, two evil twins (voice day Oscar nominee Rooney Mara) would try to get Kubo's other eye. The past catches up to them, an old vendetta resurfaces, Kubo must run and join forces with Monkey (voiced by Oscar winner Charlize Theron) and a beetle (voiced by Oscar winner Matthew McConaughey) on a quest to retrieve the helmet, the sword unbreakable and the armor that would prepare Kubo to fight the vengeful Moon King (voiced by Oscar nominee Ralph Fiennes). This quest would unlock Kubo's family mystery and lead him to fulfill his destiny.

I've always appreciated animation, but with stop-motion, it's extra level of appreciation, knowing the extra hard work they put into even just to get a few seconds of shots. It's a level of dedication and discipline that never ceases to blow my mind, that's why I'm a huge fan of LAIKA. Especially with this latest film of theirs, the scale is much bigger, there's a sequence involving a large skeleton giant, your brain starts to wonder as you see that scene just how many hours, how many weeks, how many months did it take for them to make that happen.

This film has action, it has love drama, it has family drama, it has a great sense of humor and it's also about community coming together to help one another. It has its own way of featuring and respecting Japanese art and tradition, but even if you're not too familiar with that particular culture, KUBO resonates much deeper than just the aesthetics. It's a film that's perfect for the whole family. And on top of that, it delicately teaches our young ones about how to grieve in a healthy manner. There's also a twist to the story which I won't spoil for you here. This film is just so beautiful and pristine. Charlize Theron has that commanding voice you would follow to the ends of the earth. And Matthew McConaughey voices Beetle as playful and as proud as Tim Allen did Buzz Lightyear. So it's a combination of outstanding stop motion animation, excellent voice talents, a well-told story and strong characters that make KUBO AND THE TWO STRINGS one of my favorite this year.

-- Rama's Screen --

Kubo and the Two Strings might be one of the best movies I've seen all year. In a crowded year of comic book movies, sequels, and remakes, that's probably not saying much. I wanted to be fair though and look at those movies with an open mind and a little background on their franchises for what each movie wanted to accomplish. However I've been waiting for so long to see something fresh, original, and holy cow this was it. Kubo is a stop motion animated film by Laika studios who've produced Coraline, Paranorman, and the Box Trolls. I really enjoyed Coraline and didn't really like Paranorman or the Box Trolls so I had no idea what to expect from this movie. My friend and I went opening night because the trailers looked interesting, and we were into the entire run time. It's so beautifully shot, the story is simple yet engaging, and the action is just amazing to behold. I don't want to give away anything about the story because I went into this movie blind not knowing that much and I think people should try to do the same. It's surprisingly also very funny! My friend and I just looked at each other shocked at how much this movie made us laugh. The characters are great and the voice work is very impressive. Everything about this movie is just so impressive. For little kids maybe it's not something to hold their interest, but older kids and adults I think should seriously consider checking this out. It's a fun, well written, and very emotional story. Not only should this movie win best animated feature so far, it should be nominated for best picture I'm serious! Lovers of film, animation, storytelling. PLEASEEEE go out and support this movie I heard it will have a low opening weekend and it's such a shame. We need to make this film a hit I want more animated movies of this quality, check it out!